In an area as large as California, general vintage assessments are fraught with exceptions. Yet, by just about any estimate, Vintage
2007 in the Golden State will be very good to excellent, especially for red wines. In Sonoma County in particular, winemakers and grape growers are smiling about the 2007 grape crop. Mild temperatures, interrupted by a heat rise in August, followed by good weather through harvest, allowed the grapes to ripen fully.
I was able to gain some insight recently into how Sonoma producers are assessing the outcome of 2007, thanks to an interesting panel discussion. Paradise Ridge Winery, an urban winery set in the housing tracts and rolling hills of northern Santa Rosa, was the setting for a love fest as a panel of Sonoma County winemakers and growers spoke glowingly about the quality of grapes from the 2007 harvest in the county. For the first time at this annual event, Sonoma County Vintners and the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission came together to present a united front. Mixed in with all the positive comments (especially about the reds), were a few cautionary words on yields, which most panelists claimed are lower, especially for Chardonnay, than those of 2006.
The eight panelists were split into pairs, each concentrating on a different major variety. Moderator Peter Marks MW of COPIA asked each pair to bring a wine from a previous vintage they thought would show similarities to the 2007 wines.
Grower Steve Dutton, of Dutton Ranch & Dutton-Goldfield Winery, teamed up with winemaker Dan Goldfield to talk about 2007 
Russian River Valley Chardonnay. They agreed that the vintage produced excellent fruit, and had the same structure and acidity as the 2005 Chardonnays, although the 2007 Chardonnay crop was down 25%. Dutton also couldn’t resist adding that ‘That 2007 was phenomenal for Pinots.’ Goldfield’s Dutton-Goldfield Green Valley Chardonnay Rued Vineyard 2005 showed ample fruit, balanced with brisk acidity and a minimum of oak.
Adam Lee, winemaker for Siduri Wines joined with Marne Coggan, owner of Sonatera Vineyard, to list the virtues of Pinot Noir, especially from the Sonoma Coast, where Coggans’ vineyard is rooted. Proving that there are exceptions to every trend, Coggan said, ‘over all Pinot yields are up slightly.’ Lee added that the quality for 2007 Pinots is very high, but said that the year was actually a tale of two harvests: early picked and late picked grapes. ‘Both 2006 and 2007 Pinots had good color, good acidity and sugar levels,’ summed Lee as he introduced the Siduri Sonoma Coast Sonatera Vineyards Pinot Noir 2006, a wine I found overflowing with ripe berry flavors and hints of black tea and spice.
Zinfandel was left to Dan Barwick, winemaker for Paradise Ridge and Ulises Valdez of Valdez Vineyard Management, both of whom are on intimate terms with the concentrated Zins from Rockpile, a hillside vineyard site that sits above Lake Sonoma in the northern part of the county. ‘There were no heat spikes in 2007, or in 2006, said Barwick, ‘which allowed us to pick the Zinfandel on Rockpile just as the vines started to close down.’ Valdez, one of the first to plant Zinfandel on Rockpile in 1994, says the soils are special there, similar to Dry Creek Valley.
Barwick agreed, explaining that Rockpile Zins are stylistically like those from Dry Creek Valley. ‘But in the Rockpile there’s a distinct minerality that I don’t find in Dry Creek.’ He illustrated his point with the Paradise Ridge Rocky Ridge Vineyard Rockpile Zinfandel ‘The Convict’ 2006, a ripe, slightly jammy wine with dense berry notes, big tannins and a long complex finish.
Veteran Sonoma winemaker Steve Reeder, of Simi Winery, and Leland Reichel, viticulturist for Simi Winery had the last assignment, which was assessing 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. Reichel said that tonnage was down, especially in Simi’s Landslide Vineyard, but they were finding good flavors. ‘The 2007 Cabernet from Landslide strikes me as similar to the 2004 
Cabernet Sauvignons, deep, full-flavored, with refined tannins,’ said Reeder. Although he wouldn’t go out on a limb with a definitive claim, Reeder did allow that the alcohol levels in 2007 Sonoma reds may be lower, ‘but not by much,’ than those of 2004. The Simi Alexander Valley Landslide Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 offered subtle fruit notes with cedar back undertones, good texture and a balanced finish.
Wrapping up, Marks asked the panelists for brief comments about other 2007 varieties: Merlot: tonnage down, but very good flavors; Sauvignon Blanc: typical Sonoma tropical/ stone fruit and melon flavors; Syrah: yields are down about 5%, but the quality is extraordinary. Then, looking for a possible consensus, Marks asked the panelists what they considered to be the best vintage in the last 10 years in Sonoma County, a surprise question that drew three votes for 1999, two votes for 2003 and only one for the 2007 harvest. The bottom line: 2007 is good for Sonoma wines, but not as good as a half dozen other years in the last decade.
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